Body of Art
by Calliope Jones
Summary: Zack rescues a damsel in distress who ends up closely tied to an investigation of a gallery owner. Ruby is an artist and more who is the exception to the rule. Changed the rating, because I'm pretty sure it won't get that bad. Zack/OC AU
1. Chapter 1: Waiting To Talk

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Bones characters portrayed in this story. If I did, Zack would still be on. **

**A/N: **I never thought I'd be writing Bones. Seriously. But this is what happens when you're desperate to escape homework.

* * *

_What must he be thinking?  
Can we even guess?  
He's not really linking  
Himself with the rest  
Does he know our big secret?  
Has one of us confessed?  
'Bout the wires circuits and motors  
Buried in our chest_

* * *

Doctor Zack Addy was frustrated. After the disappointment of Naomi in Paleontology last year, he'd refrained from initiating pursuance of a woman. He'd endured the friendly teasing from Hodgins about his lack of prowess with determined good cheer.

But even he had his limit.

After one too many comments from Hodgins about his failures dating, he went to the person he considered to be an expert.

Angela.

Besides being the most social of the people he counted as friends, she was also the most understanding.

After listening carefully to his request for her advice, she sat beside him on the couch in the lounge and patted his leg.

"Sweetie, you have to just put yourself out there."

He gave her a blank look. "Out there?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you know... make yourself available."

He still didn't understand. Sometime he felt like he spoke a different language than everyone else. "I _am_ available."

"No, Zack. You have to go out. Go places other people go to meet people. Outside of the lab and the Jeffersonian."

"I don't know where that is." He told her.

"You know. Bars, clubs, that kind of thing." She replied.

He just looked at her, eyebrows lifted.

Angela laughed. "Okay, maybe not for you."

He shook his head. Definitely not.

"Well, then bookstores, the park, a lecture, a coffee shop. The kind of places smart people go."

"I purchase my books on the internet." He said. "And I don't think a lecture would interest me."

"Are you trying to be difficult?" She asked.

That was a question Zack was used to hearing. His whole childhood, his mother and siblings would often ask him that. He wasn't trying to be difficult by asking question, he was just trying to find answers. He liked knowing things, he couldn't help that he needed clarification.

"The point isn't to buy books, Zack." She told him gently.

Oh. "I understand," he replied. "Then what?"

Angela stood and smiled down at him. "Just go. See what happens. I promise you, Zack. Sooner or later someone will see your worth."

After she walked away, Zack contemplated her words.

His worth.

He often thought his intellect was a handicap, and according to Hodgins, he did not know how to please a woman. That made him wonder what Angela meant.

Regardless, he took her advice to heart and at lunchtime, instead of eating his customary macaroni and cheese in the lab, he ventured out to a local coffee shop.

* * *

Ruby wasn't the kind of girl that was afraid of living in a big city and walking around in it by herself. Her friends back home had always called her the fearless one.

But she was frightened now.

Eric had been following her for the past hour. A friend of a friend, Ruby had gone on a couple dates with him, and then after an awkward and strange second date, she'd broken off contact with him.

Only he wasn't taking no for an answer. He kept calling her at all hours of the day and night, sending her emails and text messages. If anyone was to listen to the messages he left, or read the emails and texts, they'd think that she was in a serious relationship with him.

And now he was following her. She'd left her apartment in the late morning to run errands before her hectic day, and noticed him after she came out of the bank. And when he'd remained behind her for stops at the pet store, the yoga studio, and the art store; she got worried.

Ruby darted across the road, horns blaring as she nearly got herself killed. On the opposite side of the road from Eric, she ducked into a coffee shop. If he was going to confront her, at least she could have witnesses.

Going up to the counter, she ordered a small chai. As she paid for her drink, it suddenly occurred to her that maybe she could avoid confrontation altogether. If Eric thought she was with someone, he might leave her alone.

She scanned the coffee shop for a potential rescuer. It was the wrong time for her, she realized. Most of the people in the shop were in groups or pairs, and she didn't have many options. While she waited for her coffee, she saw Eric approaching the shop from the other side of the street.

And that's when she saw him. A young man sitting alone in front of the window, a mug and half eaten muffin in front of him. He had floppy brown hair and wide eyes. He looked slightly lost and uncomfortable. He wouldn't have been her first choice, but it looked like he was her only choice.

Picking up her tea, Ruby took her mug and crossed the room and sat across from Mr. Floppy hair.

She spoke quickly when his surprised eyes met hers. "Hey, I'm sorry to bother you, but there's this guy walking in right now who's been following me. Can I just sit here with you for a little while?"

She held her breath waiting for an answer, and watching out of the corner of her eye as Eric entered and went to the counter.

"Okay." Floppy hair answered, his tone questioning.

Ruby gave him a breathless grin. "Thanks. Really."

"You're welcome." He said, looking past her briefly. He frowned.

"Is he coming over here?" She asked him.

"Yes." He nodded.

Ruby cursed her luck. Why, in a town full of _normal_ single men, did she have to end up going out with a psycho? "Um. Just play along, okay?"

"Ruby?" Eric's voice was hard.

She turned as he approached the table, standing very close to her.

"Hello, Eric."

"What are you doing?" He demanded, glaring at the man across from her.

"Meeting a friend for coffee." Ruby said carefully.

"A friend." Eric's tone was accusatory. He continued glaring at the other man. "Who are you?"

Floppy hair stood up and held out a hand. "Doctor Zach Addy."

Eric ignored his offered hand. After a moment, Floppy hair- Doctor Addy, sat down again.

"I don't like my girlfriend going out with other men." Eric said to Ruby.

Ruby sighed. "I'm not your girlfriend, Eric. We just went out a couple of times."

Eric looked at Doctor Addy. "We're just having problems. Ruby's afraid of commitment."

Furious, Ruby prepared to unleash a tirade of words on Eric. But Doctor Addy stepped in. "It would appear that she is only afraid of commitment to you."

She gaped at him for a moment, while Eric fumed. She recovered quickly though. "Zack's right about that, Eric." She improvised. "He and I have been dating for over a month now."

She turned her head and beamed at her rescuer, hoping he wouldn't contradict her. He remained silent, but returned her smile with a slight one of his own.

Eric's faced twisted into a mask of fury. "You bitch." Her turned and stormed out of the shop.

Ruby let out a sigh and let her head drop to the table. "Only me." She muttered.

Her companion spoke quietly. "He should not have called you that."

She lifted her head. "I'm sorry I got you involved. I was kind of freaked out."

"I can see why. He should not have called you that." He repeated earnestly.

She gave him a faint smile. "That's sweet. But for all you know, I deserved it." She started to get up. "I should leave you alone. Thank you for your help."

"No," he said. "You can stay. It's all right."

She settled into the chair again. "Thank you."

Holding out her hand, she introduced herself. "I'm Ruby May."

He shook her hand, his grip warm and firm. "Zack Addy."

"Didn't you say Doctor Addy?"

"Yes."

Ruby leaned her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her hand. "Doctor of what?"

"Forensic Anthropology." He answered. "And almost Structural Engineering. I haven't quite finished that yet."

"Really? Wow. You must be pretty smart, huh?"

"Yes." He said simply.

His simple answer amused her. Most people would at least make an attempt at being modest. He didn't even try, but it didn't come across as boastful.

"So. Doctor Addy. What were you doing when I so rudely interrupted you? Because I have to tell you, you looked a little lost."

His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall and back to her. "I'm on lunch break. I don't normally leave the lab at lunchtime."

Ruby slapped her hand over her mouth and moaned. "Ohh no. You finally venture out of your lab and I ambush you with my drama. I am so sorry." She felt like an idiot.

"It's all right." He said mildly. "This is the most interesting lunch I've had."

* * *

Interesting. A better word would have been fascinating. He hadn't had much faith in Angela's suggestion. But he followed through, venturing out and entering the first coffee shop he saw. Upon entering, he'd immediately felt out of place. Everyone was with someone else.

He'd gotten his order, sat down and wondered how long he should stay.

See what happens, Angela had said.

And then she walked in. He'd noticed her right away of course. She'd brought to mind those girls in high school, the ones that were popular and beautiful and completely unattainable.

It was her confidence, the way she stood. Her deep red hair hung down her back in a smooth tail. She was very pale, and wore a plain black shirt with jeans.

And when she turned and approached him he was shocked. And confused. Was this a normal occurrence?

Not normal, it turned out.

But the incident was pushed to the back of his mind when she remained and talked to him. Asking questions as if she was truly interested.

And he found she wasn't like those girls in high school had been at all. She was more like Angela. Beautiful, lively and kind. And still unattainable.

She asked about his work. And her eyes didn't glaze over in confusion like most people. She pressed for details. What, exactly, did he do?

When he mentioned the flesh eating beetles, she was unfazed. "Sounds like one of my exes." She joked.

He found out that she was an artist, but since that did not pay well, she did all sorts of other things as well. Walked dogs, tended bar, taught yoga.

He was thoroughly disappointed when after glancing at the clock, she gasped and scrambled out of her seat.

"Is that the time? I have to go, I'm so late. I've got about fifteen dogs waiting for me."

She slung her purse over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I have to run."

Just like that it was over.

She smiled at him, bright and sincere. "Thank you for your rescue, Doctor Addy. I hope I see you around."

And she left with a jaunty wave.

Zack left shortly after. When he got back to the lab, Angela was waiting.

"So? How'd it go?" She asked enthusiastically.

"I met a girl." He replied.

* * *

So there you are. I'll be updating once a week, to give myself time to catch up with myself.

Lyrics are from _Waiting To Talk_ by Andrew Bird

Reviews are perfectly lovely and always appreciated. Who am I kidding? I'm needy and need approval!


	2. Chapter 2: Opposite Day

**You already know i don't own it. **

A/N: I should have mentioned before? I'm seeing this somewhere in season 1-2. It's probably not in the right timeline or anything, but hey, I'm just running amok! Woo!

I'm posting early, I know. But I'm so needy! I want to see what you think!

* * *

**Opposite ****Day**

_and those who can't quite function  
in society at large  
are gonna wake up on this morning  
and find that they're in charge_

_~Andrew Bird_

* * *

After telling the entire story to Angela, and then again to Hodgins, Zack returned to work.

Work was easy for him. Work was logical, it made sense. So he lost himself in it, only resurfacing hours later when he heard Hodgins let out a whistle.

"Please god, say she's looking for me." Hodgins said.

Zack turned, a partially reconstructed skull on a tray in his hands.

"Doctor Addy?" One of the security guards called out from the door. "There's someone here to see you."

Ruby stepped around the guard and waved.

"Ruby?" He was shocked.

She grinned and went to him. "Hi. You said that you work here, so I thought I'd stop by. I'm surprised they even let me in." She looked down at the skull in his hands. "Is that a real skull?"

He started to answer but she cut him off. "That was a dumb question. Of course it's real, that's what you do. I know that. I'm interrupting, aren't I? You're probably busy and I came barging in, disrupting your day again."

She was rambling, he realized. Was she nervous? It was probably because of the skull, he decided. He should say something about that.

"This specimen has been dead for nearly 300 years. A few more minutes won't change that." Zack said. He heard Hodgins mutter 'idiot' behind him and surmised that had not been the correct thing to say.

But to his surprise, Ruby laughed. "Good point."

He'd made her laugh. And that was even better than being King of the Lab.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her curiously.

"I wanted to see where you work." She replied. "I'm nosy."

He didn't know how to respond. Why would she want to see where he worked?

"This place is really slick. You must love working here." She said.

"Yes I do." He wished Hodgins would say something give him some sort of clue as to what he should say.

"I'm sort of nervous." Ruby said suddenly, looking away. "I can't believe I'm nervous, and I'm acting like an idiot."

"Is it because of the skull?" Zack asked helpfully. "I could put it away."

She shook her head. "No, it's not the skull. It's me."

He was really lost now. He looked over his shoulder at Hodgins, looking for guidance, but his friend simply grinned and shrugged.

"I don't know what that means." He admitted finally.

"That's okay." She took a breath. "I came to thank you. For helping me before. You didn't have to, and it was really nice of you."

"Oh. You're welcome," he said. "You came here for that?"

Ruby shook her head again. "No, actually, I was thinking maybe I could make it up to you?"

Make it up to him? "How would you do that?"

Hodgins coughed behind him. He took that as another sign that he'd said the wrong thing again.

But she didn't seem to notice. "Can I take you to dinner or something?"

He definitely didn't need help with an answer for that, but he got one anyway.

"He'd love that." Hodgins said.

Ruby smiled at Hodgins, but looked at Zack for confirmation. "Yeah?"

Zack nodded. He wasn't a total idiot. "Yes. That would be nice."

"Great. Here, I'll give you my number, and you can just call me whenever..." She waved her hand at the skull, "whenever you're done with that guy."

She took a slip of paper out of her purse and tucked it into the breast pocket of Zack's lab coat.

"Actually, this skull is from a female." He informed her.

She looked at the skull and then back up at his face and smiled. "Gosh, you're cute, Doctor Addy," she said with a laugh. "You'll call me?"

He nodded. "Absolutely." No question about it.

"Okay. I'll get going then. Let you get back to your skull. Talk to you later." She waved, and walked away.

Zack watched her leave, feeling slightly befuddled and giddy.

"Dude." Hodgins exclaimed. "I don't know how the hell you pulled that off."

Zack turned to his friend. "Neither do I." He admitted.

"She likes you." Hodgins pointed out.

"How do you know that?" Zack asked.

"She came looking for you. She didn't even flinch at the fact you were holding a skull the whole time you talked to her. She said you were cute. She asked you out on a date." Hodgins pointed out. "It's obvious."

"A date?" Zack repeated. "She asked me for a date?"

"Duh, Zack. What did you think that was?"

"I don't know. Zack mused. "I thought it was just gratitude."

"Oh, for your white knight routine." Hodgins rolled his eyes. "No, that was just an excuse. She was definitely into you."

* * *

Hodgins said that Ruby was 'into' him. It wasn't that he doubted his friend's judgment, but that he wanted a corroborating opinion. So he went to Angela.

"Ruby came to see me." He announced as he came through her door.

"Sweetie, that's wonderful." She sat back from her computer smiling at him.

"She came to see me and I talked to her but I was holding a skull the whole time, and Hodgins said that was stupid, but she didn't mind, she asked me to dinner and gave me her phone number and said I was cute, Hodgins said she's into me which he assures me is good and what do I do now?" It came out in a rush and he was out of breath when he finished. He hadn't realized that he was so distressed by the situation.

Angela laughed. "It is _so_ wrong that I actually understood that."

He just looked at her helplessly.

She sighed. "Okay, Zack. Just relax." Standing up, she walked around her desk and perched on the edge facing him.

Zack resisted the impulse to wring his hands.

"Okay. So let me make sure I got this straight. She came to see you here. At the lab."

He nodded.

"And you were holding a skull and she didn't mind, probably because that's your job, here at the lab."

He nodded again.

"And she asked you to dinner."

Nod.

"Gave you her phone number."

Nod.

"And said you were cute."

He huffed out an impatient breath. For god's sake couldn't Angela see the situation was dire?

"Sweetie, what's the problem? These are all good things." She said finally.

"What do I do now?" He pleaded. "Help me."

"Well... now you go on a fabulous date, fall in love, get married and have lots of babies." She replied, mischief in her eyes.

At his stricken look at the words married and babies, she laughed. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

"Angela..." He sounded pathetic, to his own ears.

"Zack. Just call her. Go out. Have a good time." She told him.

"Call her now?" That was a frightening thought. One that led him to wonder when he'd developed a discomfort calling a woman. He hadn't had that problem with Naomi.

"Sure." Angela said. "I can leave, give you some privacy."

He shook his head slowly. "I prefer if you stay. Just... in case."

She smiled indulgently. "Okay."

He took out his phone and the paper with Ruby's number on it and dialed quickly, before he could change his mind and go back to working on the skull.

It rang once, twice, three times before she picked up.

There was the sound of a deep breath. "Hello?" She sounded uncertain.

"Hello, Ruby?" He said. "It's Zack. Doctor Addy?"

He glanced at Angela who nodded at him encouragingly.

"Oh, hi. Sorry, I've been getting weird calls all day. Did you finish your skull?" Ruby said.

"Yes. Thank you." He replied.

"So are we on for dinner?" She asked.

"Yes, if you haven't changed your mind." He winced when Angela shook her head at him.

Ruby's laugh lilted over the line. "That definitely wouldn't happen. I was afraid _you_ would change _your_ mind."

"Not at all."

"Okay, well is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" She asked.

He hesitated. He had no idea. "I don't drive." He blurted out.

Angela looked amused.

"Really?" Ruby asked. "Why?"

"I know too much about structural engineering to trust myself operating a car."

"Okay," she was silent for a minute. "Well, do you have a problem being a passenger? Or would you rather go someplace near there?"

"Can you hold on a minute?" He asked, and when she agreed, he covered the mouthpiece with his hand and spoke to Angela.

"She's asking where."

"The diner." Angela answered immediately.

He gave her a skeptical look.

"You can walk and meet her there, and she'll love it. Trust me."

He got back on the phone and told ruby about the diner, which she readily agreed to. After arranging a time to meet, he said goodbye and hung up, letting out a breath.

"I'm to meet her at seven."

"Great!" Angela said with a broad smile. "That gives us plenty of time to do something about your clothes."

"What?"

He tried to argue with her, but capitulated in the end, because as she said, he might be King of the Lab; but she was the Goddess of Dating.

* * *

"It's just a date." Ruby's roommate Val said. "What's the big deal?"

Ruby took another dress out of her closet, held it up in the mirror and then tossed it aside. "The big deal is, Zack is really cute, nice, and a freaking genius."

Val lay back on the bed, tired of watching her friend's manic closet diving. "So?"

"So... When was the last time you met a nice, attractive, smart guy who was single, not gay, and not a psycho?"

"Hmm." Val considered it. "You have a point."

Ruby tossed aside another dress.

"But not a psycho... are you sure? Doesn't this guy play with skeletons?" Val asked.

Ruby shot her an irritated look. "He's a _scientist._ He doesn't play with skeletons, he _identifies_ them."

"Same thing." Val said with a laugh.

"Shut up and help me." Ruby reached into the closet again.

"You should wear the low-cut black one." Val told her. "So you can distract him with cleavage when you run out of intelligent things to say."

Ruby pulled the dress in question out and looked at it thoughtfully, then shook her head and threw it at her friend. "You know after you fixed me up with creepy Eric, the least you can do is be supportive."

"Hey, I didn't know he was going to turn out weird." Val argued. "I just figured since you were an artist and he runs a gallery you'd hit it off."

"Besides," she went on, "I didn't know you were looking for some totally perfect genius bone guy."

Ruby turned. "He's not perfect, Val. Nobody's perfect."

"Well, you've made him sound perfect. Does he have any flaws? Visible or otherwise?"

Ruby twined a lock of hair around her finger. "He's... awkward. Like he doesn't know how to act. And sometimes, when he speaks, he's kind of formal. I think he might be a little too smart for his own good."

"You're not saying those things like they _are_ flaws." Val pointed out.

Ruby smiled. "I can't help it. I like him."

"I know that look." Val accused. "You're already falling for him. You've got him built up in your head as some sort of geek superman."

"I do not." Ruby exclaimed.

"Oh, yes you do. I can tell." The other woman laughed. "You're doomed."

Ruby sighed and sat on the end of the bed. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"Look, Rubes. I'm just trying to help you. Don't go falling in love with this guy just because he pulled a white knight routine, okay? Get to know him first."

"I'm not going to fall in love with him. It's just one date. And probably won't go further than that."

Val got up and started looking through the closet. "Why do you say that?"

"A scientist? With me? I don't think that's going to happen." Ruby took the dress that Val handed her. Standing she held it up to herself in the mirror. "Hey, that's not mine."

"No." Val said with a wicked grin. "It's mine. And you're going to wear it and drive your scientist mad."


	3. Chapter 3: Remember To Breathe

**Standard disclaimer goes here. **

**A/N:** You know, I really meant to only update once a week, but I just can't do it! I need to show you! So be thankful I'm impatient. And for everyone that reviewed, I really intended to respond to everyone personally, but I lost track of it. So if I didn't reply to you, its not personal. I thank everyone for reviewing! Geek love!

* * *

_**Remember to Breathe**_

_I'm starting to panic_

_remember she asked you_

_remember to breathe_

_and everything will be okay_

_~Dashboard Confessional_

* * *

After they sat down and ordered drinks, Ruby put her chin on her hand and leaned forward. "So. Tell me something weird and true about yourself."

Zack fiddled with his fork. "Weird and true?"

"Yeah," Ruby said. "You know, something you wouldn't normally tell someone on a first date."

His eyes widened. "Is this a first date?" The wording implied that there might be more than one.

She tilted her head, her hair sliding over one shoulder. "Well... yeah." Then she bit her lip. "Isn't it? I know I asked you, and traditionally the guy does the asking, but I had the feeling you wouldn't, so I went for it."

"Oh." He said and smiled. "Okay." There was something oddly comforting in her questioning that it was a date as well. It made him feel like it was a normal thing.

"So tell me something. Weird and true." She prompted.

"I'm not sure what to say." He replied.

"Do you want me to go first?"

He nodded thankfully.

She sat back in her seat. "Okay. Well... I'm afraid of phones."

"Afraid of the actual device, or of using them?" Zack asked.

She looked surprised by his response. "Using them."

He nodded. "Yes, I can see how that might be anxiety inducing. But you gave me your phone number. And you answered when I called."

"I can answer calls, most of the time. It's making calls that really messes me up. So, you can call me, I just can't call you. At least at first. Eventually, I'll be able to."

"I understand." He took a sip of his drink. "I'm still not sure what to say for myself. Most people think everything about me is weird, and for the most part, everything I say is true."

"For the most part?" She asked.

He grimaced. "Well, if my mother ever asks, I'm Lutheran."

She laughed. "Okay. But other than that? You're always honest?"

He nodded.

Ruby frowned thoughtfully. "So... if I asked you if you wear boxers or briefs?"

He blushed. "Boxers."

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"

"Sixteen." He smiled at that, only because she did not assume he was inexperienced, like his coworkers did.

She smiled wickedly. "Really? How'd it happen?"

"College graduation party." He hedged.

She paused. "You were at a college graduation party when you were sixteen?"

"Yes, when I graduated."

"You graduated college when you were sixteen?" When he nodded, she went on. "That must have been hard for you."

He was surprised by her sensitivity. "Yes, it was. I was younger than everyone, smarter than everyone, and quite awkward socially."

Her lips curved. "I bet you were sweet."

He didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily the waitress arrived just then to take their order.

After they ordered, Zack wracked his brain for something to say. "Why me?" He asked, finally letting the one question that had been plaguing him all day escape.

Ruby wrinkled her nose in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about it all day, and I can't come up with any logical reason you would choose me."

She laughed, but when he didn't, she stared at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"That's one of those questions I shouldn't have asked, isn't it?"

She shook her head. "No, Zack... I'm just trying to figure out why you would even ask that."

"Its simple, really." He told her. "I do not see any reason why you might be attracted to me. Despite my intellect, I don't display any of the common attributes women look for in a potential mate. While you are..." He trailed off, looking uncertain.

"I'm what?" She asked. "You have to finish that statement before I address the one before."

He considered and rejected a dozen words before settling on the one he felt was most appropriate. "Lovely. You're lovely."

* * *

She nodded slightly. "That's why, Zack." She said after a moment.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"I chose you because you can say something like that, and not sound like a complete ass or like you're giving me a line."

Her gaze was frank. "You said you don't have the common attributes that women look for? Well, I'm not like other women."

"That is becoming clear." He replied.

She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.

"What _do_ you look for?" He asked, curious.

"Um." She bit her lip. "It's not like I have a checklist, Zack."

"Then how do you know you don't look for what other women do?"

"Good point." She conceded. "Well, a lot of women are looking for the alpha male."

"Right." He said. "The alpha male is often a man who is powerful or in a high social position. Agent Booth, that I work with, is considered an alpha male. He's tall, strong, successful, and I'm told, very good looking."

Ruby chuckled. "Okay... well, sure. Strong body could be one of the things other women look for."

"How does that fit in what you look for?" He asked.

"Well, I happen to think that a strong mind is way sexier than a strong body." She replied, winking at him.

"I have an IQ of over 163." He informed her.

Her eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Why hasn't anybody snapped you up by now?"

He looked puzzled. "Snapped me up? I don't understand."

"You know," she waved her hand. "Why hasn't some smart girl made you her love puppy yet?"

"Love puppy?"

"Sex slave? Boy toy?" She offered.

"Lover?" He said cautiously.

"Yeah." Ruby smiled picking up her drink.

"Oh, that is most likely because I'm not very good at sex." He said, frowning.

Ruby set her drink down so fast it sloshed over the rim of the glass. "What? Who told you that?"

"Well, when things with Naomi went so badly..." He started, then grimaced.

"Naomi?" Ruby perked up. "How'd it go bad with Naomi?"

Zack shook his head. "Angela told me I shouldn't talk about that."

Now Ruby smiled, bemused. "Angela? How many girlfriends do you have?"

He blushed. "None. Angela works with me. She and Hodgins, who you met, give me dating advice."

"Really?" She was enthralled. This guy was seriously adorable and had no idea.

"Yes. They advised me on what I should and shouldn't say tonight. Naomi was on the top of the list."

She laughed. "Who cares about what you should and shouldn't say on a date? I'm actually a big fan of the things you shouldn't talk about. Much more interesting. So this Naomi told you you were bad in bed?"

"Well, no. She wouldn't return my calls after. And told me to take a hint, which I told Hodgins and Angela about. Hodgins decided it was because I didn't please her."

"Ohh. I see." Ruby nodded. "Okay, first I want to say that Naomi sounds like a bitch. And second, how would Hodgins know if you know how to please a woman or not?"

"You do have a valid point." Zack responded. "I did not think of that. And I have done considerable research on sex since then, so that might make a difference."

"Research? How did you go about researching that?"

"I got books." He said. "With diagrams. They were quite informative."

"Books. With diagrams." Ruby deadpanned. "Remind me to go thank Naomi the bitch."

"You probably shouldn't talk to her." Zack said.

"I was kidding." Ruby said with a wicked smile. "But seriously? Her loss is definitely my gain. Why don't we go back to my place and test out that research of yours?"

Zack blinked. Then swallowed. Hard. "I'm fairly certain that I'm not supposed to say yes to that. It wouldn't be proper."

Ruby wanted to laugh. Make it a joke. But she couldn't. "Dr. Addy. Brilliant, adorable, sweet, _and _chivalrous? How am I supposed to resist you?"

"Do you want to?" He asked, concerned.

She grinned at him. "Not really. No."

"That's reassuring." He replied mildly. "Now I won't have to kill you."

Ruby paused, studying his face. When she saw his mouth twitch, she started laughing. "You have a twisted sense of humor."

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all. I like it." She told him.

"You know, she added. "My roommate thinks you must be some kind of necrophiliac freak because you play with dead bodies."

He looked stunned. "The bodies I normally deal with hardly even look human." Then he hurried to clarify. "I don't mean that I am sexually attracted to non-humans. I definitely prefer humans. Women."

Ruby giggled. "Wow. You really dug yourself a hole with that one."

"I don't know what that means." He frowned.

"I mean you made it sound worse. I know you're not a freak."

"Oh."

"That must be incredibly frustrating for you." She said seriously.

"What?" He asked.

"Being misunderstood."

"Yes." He replied. "It can be." Then he gave her an apologetic look as the phone in his pocket beeped. He slipped it out of his pocket, and glanced at the display.

* * *

Ruby looked on with concern as he read the text, frowning. "You have to go, don't you?" She asked as he put the phone back in his pocket.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "Doctor Brennan and Agent Booth are bringing in a body."

She nodded. "It's okay. I understand." Waving the waitress over, she asked for the check.

Zack bit his lip. He thought the evening had been going well, but he was pretty sure that having it cut short by his work was not good.

When the waitress returned and placed the check on the table, he reached for it.

Ruby slapped her hand over it with a grin. "Not so fast."

"Ruby," he said reasonably. "It's my fault we have to leave. Let me at least pay for dinner."

She shook her head. "No way. That defeats the whole purpose of me taking you out."

"You can get the next one," she told him as she laid some bills on the table.

"Next one?" He asked with an uncertain smile.

Ruby froze in the act of standing up and putting on her sweater. "Um. Yeah. If you want. I mean... I guess I'm just assuming you'd want to, but maybe I got it all wrong."

For a moment he wondered if she was joking, and he just didn't get it. But she looked sincere.

"I'd like that." He said finally.

The smile she sent him was brilliant and warm. "Come on, I'll give you a ride back."

They left the restaurant and drove to the lab in a comfortable silence.

Well, almost comfortable, since Zack was frantic with worry that he still had an opportunity to screw this up somehow and leave himself open for friendly ridicule from Hodgins.

Ruby pulled into the Jeffersonian parking and pulled into a spot. Turning off the engine, she turned to Zack. "Here you are. Safe and sound."

He nodded, glancing out at the building then back at her.

"You know," she said conversationally. "This is probably the fist date I've gone on where the guy wasn't just trying to get me to go home with him."

"I'm told I practically live here." He told her. "Does that count?"

She laughed a little. "I'd probably be more lively than your other guests."

"I don't know what that means."

She shook her head. "Probably for the best." She let the silence fill the car for a minute, then spoke again.

"Zack? Are you going to make a move on me or what?"

He considered. "I'm not sure that it would be a good thing to do at this moment."

"Why?" She asked, amused and perplexed.

"I don't think it would be proper to initiate any kind of activity that might leave me unable to think clearly when I have to work." As soon as he said it, he thought that perhaps that wasn't the answer she wanted.

"Get out of the car." She said.

Okay." He did, frowning. Had he upset her?

Getting out of the car, she trotted around to the passenger side and linked her arm through his. "If this is going to be a proper date, I have to walk you to your door."

He eyed the short distance from the car to the entrance of the lab. "That's not necessary. I believe I can make it."

She laughed. "It _is_ necessary. For me."

He gave in and they started walking. He liked having her arm around his because with every step, her body swayed and bumped his. It was a nice feeling.

When the reached the doors, he reluctantly stepped away. "I should go in." He said.

She nodded, her eyes locked on his face.

He didn't move.

"I had a really good time." She said quietly.

"I did as well." He replied. This was the part of the night that made him the most anxious. He was unsure of what he should do or say.

He felt pinned under her gaze.

She bit her lip, then moved in, pressing her lips to his lightly.

At the touch of her soft lips, his brain disengaged. He was lost. Eventually, his body reacted, without his brain. He lifted his hand and wrapped it around the back of her neck.

It seemed like forever or a fraction of a second when she pulled back and stepped away.

"Call me." She whispered with a knowing Mona Lisa smile on her face.

Zack bobbed his head.

She turned and started to walk away. Then she stopped, turning back.

"By the way, Doctor Addy." She called. "You're very good at that."

Then she walked away, getting into her car.

Zack turned and entered the lab, unable to hide the goofy grin on his face.

* * *

Didja like it? Tell me! Lyrics from Remember to Breathe by Dashboard Confessional. I thought that was the perfect Zack on a date song.


	4. Chapter 4: Just A Dream

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own em.

A/N: Ok so I finished this one a while ago and then realized that someone may have subconsciously inspired this scene. I contemplated trying to replace it with something else, but nothing worked so I'm going to give credit to comedienne-quinn for inadvertently inspiring me. I did not intend to do the same thing.

Sadly, I've now caught up to myself, and the next chapter may be slightly delayed.

* * *

_Just a Dream_

_Pick up your stones and go to work on my bones  
Then tell me if I'll be alright  
I'll come round for this moment  
The only other moment  
To see you when you're down_

_~Great Northern_

* * *

After Doctor Brennan left the room, Zack stared down at the small skeleton and swallowed hard. He just couldn't get past how small it was.

Doctor Brennan had said to focus on the details, and he _was_ trying, but there was one detail he couldn't stop focusing on.

It was so small.

As he attempted to catalog the wounds, he could feel bile rising up in his throat.

It's just a child. _He_ was just a child.

Childhood shouldn't end this way.

This victim, this_ child_ was small for his age, thin.

_I was like him._ Zack thought. _He was like me._

He thought it would be easier once the decomposing flesh was removed, but somehow that made it even more real.

He barely made it to the bathroom in time to throw up. It didn't help him feel any better. He went up to the lounge and sat on the couch with a bottle of water, trying to put the skeleton out of his head.

But the skeleton, the boy, wouldn't go away.

Hardly thinking, he reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out his phone, dialing blindly.

It wasn't until it started ringing that he realized it was just past seven in the morning.

But the voice that answered after a brief pause sounded chipper despite the early hour.

"Zack!"

"Ruby, I'm sorry, did I wake you? I didn't realize the time." He said apologetically.

"No, it's okay." She replied. "I'm on the way to my first yoga class."

"Oh."

"Are you okay? You sound... tired." She replied. "Are you still at the lab? Have you slept?"

"I'm still at the lab." He admitted.

"You haven't slept?"

"I took a nap a few hours ago." He said. Now that he was talking to her, he felt... surprised that he'd called. But she was the first person he'd thought of.

She was quiet for a moment. "What's wrong, Zack?"

He sighed. She was very perceptive.

"Zack?" She prompted.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you. You hardly know me, and you probably don't want to hear about my difficulties." He dropped his head into his hand.

"Zack." She scolded. "I do want to hear. Is it the case?"

"Yes." His voice broke.

"What can I do?" She asked quietly.

"Will you meet me?" He asked with soft desperation. "When you're free?"

"Yes, of course." She replied. "This class gets out at eight, so how about eight thirty?"

"All right. Are you sure I'm not bothering you?" He asked, his voice hoarse from trying to hold in his emotions.

"No. You're not. Where do you want me to meet you?"

He named a nearby park.

"Okay, I'll see you then. Will you be all right?" She sounded worried.

"Yes." He said decisively. He would be. If by will alone.

"Okay. Hang in there, honey." She hung up.

Zack pushed the end button on his phone and dropped it onto the couch next to him. It was illogical, but just speaking to her made him feel better. For the moment.

He made it through the next hour, throwing up once more. When he stepped out of the Jeffersonian into the bright day, he felt wrung out, used up. He believed that he'd been able to cover his emotional response to the victim, keeping his professional mask in place. But as he walked, putting distance between himself and the lab, his mask slipped away.

* * *

When she approached Zack, Ruby thought he looked like he'd be taken apart inch by inch and put back together again. He was sitting on a bench, shoulders slumped, head in his hands. When he heard her approaching, he lifted his head and rose slowly, moving as stiffly as an old man.

Without a word, Ruby went to him, putting the cups of coffee she was carrying on the bench he'd just vacated. Then she wrapped her arms around him.

He stood stiffly in her embrace until she whispered his name. Then a shudder passed through him and his arms were coming around her, his face pressing into her hair.

He was holding on so tight, as if he might break if he let go. She tightened her grip on him in return.

"He was just a child." He whispered desolately. "Six years old. How could someone do that to a six year old?"

Ruby just held on, trying to sooth the tremors that shook his thin frame. Tears stung the back of her throat as she whispered to him, nonsense meant to comfort.

She was horrified, of course, that his job required him to deal with things like this. Equally horrified that it had been a child. But she was... fascinated to see this side of him.

It didn't take him long to collect himself, and he backed away from her slowly. As she watched, his pained features smoothed into the cautiously affable expression he usually had.

She wasn't going to let him hide from her now. She reached out and grabbed his hand. "I brought you coffee. Sit."

He obliged, taking the steaming cup from her and sitting on the bench beside her. He was slouching, his legs stretched out in front of him.

He looked absolutely exhausted.

Sipping her coffee, Ruby gazed at him. Eventually, he turned and caught her looking at him.

"What?" He asked, self-consciously lifting his hand to his face.

"You should come home with me." She told him, biting back a laugh when his expression went from surprise to confusion to interest.

"What?"

"You should come home with me. Take a nap. Let me take care of you."

He frowned, his dark eyes searching her face.

Now it was her turn to question. "What?"

"No one has ever made an offer like that to me. I'm wondering if I fell asleep in the lab and I'm dreaming this."

Ruby reached out and pinched his arm, hard.

"Ow!" He rubbed his arm. "What was that for?"

She smiled sweetly. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes." He replied, still frowning.

"Then you're not asleep."

"Hmm." He let his hand drop from his arm. "You... want to take care of me?"

The stunned look on his face made her sigh. "Oh, honey. If anyone needed to be taken care of right now, its you."

"Why?" He asked.

Ruby gave in to her urge and patted his cheek. "You're exhausted. Overwhelmed. You need rest. Care. When was the last time you had a decent meal?"

"At home." She added when he opened his mouth. "Cooked."

"I can cook." He argued.

Ruby lifted one eyebrow. "Really."

"Not well." He admitted. "Macaroni and cheese, mostly."

"That's just sad." She laughed.

He shrugged.

"Come with me. I'll feed you."

"I would like that. Very much." He replied with a small smile. "But I have to go back to the lab."

"God, Zack. Haven't you done enough? You've been working all night." She exclaimed.

"It isn't enough," he told her, "until we find whoever did it and put them in jail."

Ruby felt her heart jump a little. His usually mild voice had hardened when he said that. It was, she decided, kinda hot.

"Okay," She said. "I'll make you a deal."

"A deal?" He asked, looking slightly concerned. "What kind of deal?"

"I let you go back to the lab, but you have to agree to come over tonight."

"Let me go back?" He grinned suddenly. "Were you going to hold me hostage?"

She winked. "I think I'll save that for when I can tire you out myself."

He bit his lip. "Should I know what that means?"

"Look it up in one of your books." She replied, laughing. "So do you promise? Is it a deal?"

* * *

Zack agreed, promising to call her when he was done for the day. After they finished their coffee, she headed off and he went back to the lab, still tired, but feeling much better than he had.

He went back to examining the bones, barely looking up when Hodgins entered the room.

"Dude, where'd you go?" Hodgins asked.

"I had coffee with Ruby." Zack answered distractedly.

Hodgins stared at him. "You left an investigation to have co9ffee with a girl? Who are you, and what did you do with Zack?"

Zack lifted his head and frowned at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"In all the time I've known you, you've never done that." Hodgins told him.

"Oh." That was true. It was an unprecedented action on his part.

"She asked me to go home with her." He admitted.

"And you said no? For the love of god, why?" Hodgins asked, his voice filled with censure.

"Because I have work to do." Zack said, bending over the skeleton again.

"Because you..." Hodgins gaped. "You idiot."

"She understood." Zack replied mildly. "She asked me to come for dinner tonight."

"I don't get it. How are you doing this?"

Zack paused and looked up, a rib in his hand. "Doing what?"

Hodgins just shook his head. "I just don't get it. It's like bizarro world."


	5. Chapter 5: These Bones

**Disclaimer. Yeah. Not mine.**

**A/N:** Man, this was the chapter that would never end. Thank the gods for Chel88, otherwise this would never have gotten finished.

* * *

_**These Bones**_

_So lay with me  
I could use the company  
You could help me ease  
These bones  
Are like maps and keys  
Where they took their hits  
And they felt those teeth  
There's a story hidden  
Underneath  
If you dig in deep  
Will you find relief?_

_~Dashboard Confessional_

* * *

Zack sat slumped at Ruby's kitchen table, chin propped on his hand, trying desperately not to yawn while he watched her cook.

It was odd, he was reminded of being in his mother's kitchen, watching her make dinner while he did homework or pored over library books. But Ruby definitely wasn't his mother. It was disconcerting.

She had her red hair piled messily on top of her head, and was wearing worn jeans and a black t-shirt that said 'talk nerdy to me' in white letters. Her feet were bare, and she was tapping her red tipped toes in time with the music coming from the ancient radio on top of her fridge.

He was so tired that the world had taken on a surreal dreamlike quality. He hadn't yet decided if he liked it or not. He found himself staring at her bare feet. There was something hypnotic about the way she was tapping them. Shaking his head a little, he lifted his eyes, once again noticing the shirt she wore.

"What does that mean?" He asked her.

"What?" She asked, turning toward him, spoon in hand.

"Your shirt. 'Talk nerdy to me'. What does it mean?"

She smiled, her eyebrow lifting to give her a wicked look. "I'm not sure if I should tell you."

He really liked it when she looked at him like that. So he told her so.

She wrinkled her nose. "Like what?"

"Like you want to show me what you mean."

She laughed and gifted him with a sultry look. "I do."

"Oh." He didn't know how to respond to that. She was attracted to him? Part of him still wanted to question why she liked him. But he decided not to. "So what does it mean?"

"If I show you this one, we'll never get to dinner." She replied. "So I'll just say it means I like smart boys."

_If I show you this one, we'll never get to dinner._ Was she implying it had to do with sex? Now he really didn't get it, but didn't want to embarrass himself by asking for clarification. She might give it to him and in his state of exhaustion he was pretty sure that would end badly.

"What are you making?" He asked instead.

"I'd really like to say I'm making something fabulously creative and wonderful." She said, turning back to the stove. "But its just chicken. And rice."

Chicken and rice sounded pretty wonderful to him. "It smells good. Is it ready yet?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Almost. Hungry?"

He nodded emphatically. Then yawned and apologized.

Ruby playfully scolded him for apologizing then asked, "Did you solve the case? The little boy?"

Zack winced. He still felt raw from it. "Yes. Once we figured out how it happened, it didn't take long."

"Why would someone do that?" She asked. "Kill a child?"

"I don't know." He replied tiredly. "I just do how. I don't do why."

* * *

Ruby was silent as she started serving up dinner. She could hear in his voice when he'd responded that this case had really bothered him. She'd worried about him all day, which was not a good sign. That clearly meant she was already gone on him.

But she couldn't get the image out of her head of how he'd looked in the park earlier. Broken down and completely done in. Even now, he looked like he was going to fall asleep while eating.

Placing a huge plate of food in front of him, she got her own plate and sat across from him. She kept up a steady stream of dialogue while he ate, sticking to innocent subjects and anecdotes about her day.

He ate like he was starving, with single-minded focus, hardly replying to her. She found she didn't mind. He seemed to be enjoying the meal she'd prepared, simple as it was. That made up for the lack of conversation.

Somehow, in his exhaustion, he looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him.

She tilted her head and studied him. Maybe relaxed wasn't the word for it. He looked... rumpled. In a completely adorable way, of course. His hair hung messily over his eyes, which had dark circles under them; and his button down shirt and jeans were wrinkled. She wondered how often he pulled all-nighters like that.

After they finished eating, she sent him into the living room to relax while she cleaned up. She did the dishes and put them away, then went to wipe up the table. As she wiped the table, she glanced out the window.

Her movements slowed as she saw a dark figure just standing across the street. It looked almost like the person was looking right at her. She shivered a little, then reached out and yanked the curtains shut.

There was no reason to feel anxious, she told herself. It was probably just a neighbor walking their dog. But she couldn't shake the feeling. Trying to put it out of her mind, she followed the sounds of the television into the living room. She paused in the doorway when she caught sight of Zack.

He was lying on the couch, on his side with a pillow hugged to his chest. He was sound asleep.

Ruby felt her heart thump in her chest and knew then she was a goner. She'd gone and fallen for him. Awkwardness, obsessive work habits and all.

With a quiet sigh, she entered the room and settled in the chair next to the couch, where she could keep an eye on him. She picked up a book and started reading, her eyes and her attention drifting to him periodically.

By eleven o'clock, she was starting to yawn, and he hadn't woken. Putting down her book, Ruby slipped out of her chair and knelt next to the couch, near his head.

* * *

One minute Zack was blissfully sleeping and the next he was awake. He opened his eyes to find Ruby kneeling next to him.

Sitting up quickly, he hastened to apologize. "I fell asleep, I'm sorry. That was rude."

She sat back on her heels, smiling at him with one of those secretive curves of her lips. "It's okay, Zack. You needed to."

Somehow, her understanding made it seem that much worse. She'd invited him for dinner, and he'd proved to be terrible company. She'd done all the talking through the meal, and then he'd come in her and fallen asleep. He wouldn't blame her if she threw him out.

He decided to save them both embarrassment, and stood. "I should go."

She stood too, putting her hand on his arm. "No, don't."

He couldn't read her expression, or the tone of her voice. It was frustrating.

"I'll leave." He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I'll call a cab."

Ruby plucked the phone from his hand and tossed it on the couch. "No, you won't."

He frowned at her. "Then how will I get home?"

She shook her head, laughing a little. "You won't."

He didn't understand. That didn't surprise him. And he didn't really see what was funny about it.

"Ruby," He started.

"Just stay here." She cut him off. "I don't want you to go home, I want you to stay here."

"Why?" It came out before he even thought about it.

Ruby pursed her lips. "Do I need a reason?"

He crossed his arms over his chest because he didn't know what to do with his hands. "There is no logical reason for me to stay."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the hall with surprising strength. "Zack, shut up."

She dragged him into what he assumed was her bedroom and shut the door behind them. He swallowed nervously, glanced at the bed and quickly looked away. "I could sleep on the couch." He offered.

She turned. "Seriously?" She sounded surprised.

"Well, yes." He nodded. He should sleep on the couch, shouldn't he? Or was she trying to, as Hodgins would say, get some?

"Look," she said, pushing on his chest with both hands until he backed up and sat on the side of the bed. "I promise not to try to take advantage of you."

Take advantage of _him_? He tried to respond, but found he really didn't know what to say.

"It's kind of my... habit to rush things, and I really would rather not do that with you." She bit her lip.

Her words eased his nervousness, but made his chest ache in a way he wasn't entirely comfortable with. Part of his brain wondered what made him different. Wondered if he was deficient in some way.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because you're different, Zack. You're... better than that, and I want this to work." She said clearly. "But I'd really just like to wake up next to you tomorrow."

"Oh." He felt the smile spread across his face. "Really?" He though that would probably be the _best_ way to wake up. With her. "Okay."

Her face lit up. "Okay? Great. I'm going to go...change. I'll be right back."

When she left the room, Zack hunched his shoulders and put his face in his hands. What the hell was he supposed to do? This was... awkward. Not a situation he was prepared for or had any idea how to handle.

He was still trying to think it through when she returned, clad in baggy flannel pants and a tiny top, her hair flowing over her shoulders. He hoped she didn't notice that he stared.

She went to the other side of the bed and pulled back the blankets, getting in. Then he felt her hand on his back.

"Zack? Aren't you going to get comfortable? Lose the shoes? Pants? Whatever?"

He shrugged.

"I won't look, if you're shy." She said with a laugh. "But I'm gonna see eventually anyway."

He had to laugh with her this time. He was over thinking it. Standing up, he kicked off his shoes and started unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm not shy." He told her.

She grinned. "Well, then lose the pants and get in here."

He wasn't shy, but he still thought he looked better with clothes on. He took a chance and told her so.

Ruby responded with one of those flirty laughs of hers and said, "Who doesn't?"

Even so, he hurriedly shrugged off his shirt and slid off his jeans and got into the bed next to her, quickly pulling the blankets up over himself while she turned out the light.

It felt ridiculously good to be lying down on a proper bed. He let out a heartfelt sigh and closed his eyes. He wasn't relaxed, not the least bit. How could he be with Ruby inches away from him? It might have been an innocent situation, but it felt anything but.

Especially when he felt the mattress shift and Ruby moving closer. Her leg brushed his and then she slid her hand down his arm until she reached his hand, twining her fingers with hers. Finally, she rested her head against his shoulder.

Zack opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Despite what his friends thought, he'd had several sexual encounters before. But he'd never actually just slept with a woman. He found himself getting even more tense when he thought about that. He didn't know what to do, what she'd expect.

"Zack, relax." Her voice came out of the dark. "There's nothing to be nervous about."

"Right." He replied.

"You were fine when you were asleep on the couch." she said.

"That was different." He told her.

"How?"

"You weren't there." He answered reluctantly.

She shifted again, letting go of his hand to prop herself up on her elbow. _"I_ make you nervous?"

He turned his head to meet her gaze in the dim light. "Yes."

"Gosh that's cute. But why?"

He'd expected that. Of course she would ask why. And he didn't have a very good answer. He took a minute to contemplate it. Why did she make him nervous? Besides the obvious, of course.

"Because you're so confident. About this, about things between us." He said softly. That was as good an answer he could come up with at the moment.

When she didn't say anything he continued, keeping his voice low, as if speaking quietly would make his words less stark. "You might not realize this, but its not a common occurrence for women to ask me out. It's not even common for me to ask a woman out. And being here like this, it's the most unlikely situation for me."

She was matching his low tone when she answered. "You think I'm confident about this? Don't you remember yesterday? Didn't you notice how nervous I was? I'd _never_ done anything like that before. You hadn't given any indication that you might be interested, and I pretty much stalked you. At work. I was terrified to ask you out."

"I thought that was because of the skull." He said.

Ruby shook her head, her hair brushing his shoulder. "No. It was because of you."

_He _made _her_ nervous? "Why?"

"Because," she said. "You're _Doctor_ Addy. And I'm just a dog walker. What do I have to offer you?"

He frowned at her. She wasn't making sense. "You aren't just a dog walker. And what does that have to do with anything? My title? Your job?"

"You're brilliant and next to you I probably seem like an idiot." She explained.

"Most people do." He said, then winced. "I didn't mean that you do. I'm certain you aren't an idiot. Although, you do seem to have questionable taste in men."

She stared at him for a minute. "Was that sarcasm? Did you just actually use sarcasm?"

It hadn't been intentional. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

But she just laughed, dropping back down to lay her head on his shoulder again. "I think it's fair to say we both have insecurities about a relationship, Zack. I'm pretty sure that's normal."

He felt much better knowing that she was nervous too. It didn't make him relax though. She was too close to him for that.

He turned his head a little more, and she lifted hers. It seemed to just be a natural move to press his lips to hers.

And when she lifted her hand to stroke his hair, he gave in, shutting his eyes and relaxing under her soft touch.

Her soft voice whispering, "Goodnight, Doctor Addy," was the last thing he heard before drifting off.

* * *

Awwww. This was hard to write. His awkwardness made _me _cringe. But I think he's gonna get a grip soon. Review, please? I need validation!


	6. Chapter 6: I Just Knew

Disclaimer: Blah.

A/N: So hard to write. Ugh. Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews. I promise I'll try not to take away Zack's awkwardness. That's what makes him who he is.

* * *

_When you walk in the noise disappears  
Where you begin is perfectly clear  
All this time I felt so confused  
Then came you and I just knew_

Well I fell out when you picked up the phone  
When we'd go out, yeah, it'd feel just like home  
Do you think that I'm alright  
Shining through and I just knew  
And I just knew

_~ Better Than Ezra_

* * *

He left his work where it would be found easily. He wanted his message to be clear.

* * *

Ruby woke to find that she'd made herself very comfortable during the night, using Zack as her pillow. A surprisingly comfortable pillow. He might be tall and skinny, but there definitely was some muscle there. It was a nice surprise.

Moving carefully, so she didn't disturb him, she peered over him to see the clock. Just past seven. She knew that she should wake Zack, he probably had to get to work, but when she looked at his face, boyish and peaceful in sleep, she didn't want to disturb him.

She smiled as she recalled the look on his face when she'd asked him to stay. Shocked.

It was hard to imagine how no one had seen the potential in him. Seen past the awkwardness to the sweet, brilliant man underneath. His brain was a wonder to her, the way it seemed to work. She had figured out that the reason he asked those questions that no one else did wasn't just because he didn't know he shouldn't, but because he really wanted the answers.

Propping herself up on her elbow, she gazed down at his face. His lips were parted in sleep, his eyelashes fanning darkly against his cheeks.

Reaching out, she carefully brushed his hair away from his face. He smiled a little, still sleeping.

She debated for a minute on the best way to wake him. Was he a morning person? Or did he wake up snarling and grumpy? That thought made her smile.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek, slightly scratchy with stubble. He didn't really react at first, so she did it again, whispering his name.

This time, when she leaned back, his eyes opened and he turned his head, blinking at her owlishly.

"Hi." She said softly.

He stared at her for a minute, then reached out, lightly touching her hair with his fingertips. Then he smiled. "Hi."

"I didn't want to wake you," she told him, "but I assume you have to get to work."

He frowned a little. "I don't want to."

"But you have to." Ruby said for him.

He nodded.

She sighed, laying head head on his chest again, listening to the steady thump of his heart. "Do you want me to bring you? I can take you home to change first."

His hand came up to thread in her hair. She smiled. Once he stopped thinking so hard, he definitely had some moves hiding in there.

"I suppose that I should go home and change. Otherwise, I'd be doing the... what is it, walk of shame?"

Ruby laughed. "I'm shocked you even know that phrase."

"Apparently," he told her, "Angela does that a lot. Or so I'm told."

With another peal of laughter, Ruby sat up, then slid out of bed.

"I'm going to go get some coffee and get dressed. You want coffee?"

When he declined, she left the room, closing the door behind her so he could dress.

* * *

The ride to his place was quiet, with Zack yawning nonstop and Ruby sucking down coffee from a travel mug. She made some comments about the huge estate he lived on, but mostly kept quiet. She waited in his living room as he showered and dressed.

It wasn't neat freak clean, but what she thought of as 'boy clean'. Dusty and cluttered, with shoes by the couch and books and bits of electronics scattered on the coffee table.

She amused herself by poking around, looking through his books and movies. She was happy to see the similarities in their taste of both music and film.

He was ready to leave gain in what she considered record time. He came out of his bedroom dressed in jeans a t-shirt and a rumpled button down shirt. His hair hung damp over his forehead, and when he drew near, he smelled of soap.

Giving in to the impulse, she leaned closer to him and sniffed.

"Why are you smelling me?" He asked.

"You smell good." She replied, stepping back. "Ready to go?"

"Um. Okay." He shrugged.

* * *

The commute from his place to the lab was less silent. Zack was slightly more animated, though still slightly withdrawn.

When she pulled into the Jeffersonian visitor lot, she parked the car and turned it off. "Can I come in?" She asked.

Zack looked surprised. "If you'd like to."

"Will you show me your office? I didn't really get to look around last time."

"You want to?" He was intrigued by the way her mind worked. "Everyone else around here calls it 'Zack's ooky room'. I'm fairly certain that isn't a good thing."

"Even better." Ruby grinned.

"All right." He agreed, leading her into the building and then to his office. He entered first and waved her in. "Here you are."

She went right over to the wall of shelves that held specimens in jars. Leaning close to one of the jars, she reached out and tapped on it.

"I'm kinda waiting for one of these to start moving." She admitted to Zack.

"That would be impossible," he replied. "They're quite dead."

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Uh huh." Moving on, she studied framed insect specimens on the walls.

Pointing at the large boiler in one corner, she asked, "What's that?"

He hesitated. "A boiler."

"For what?"

"Are you sure you want me to tell you?" He asked. He was pretty sure that would be something Angela would say not to mention. Because it was 'icky'.

"Absolutely." Ruby nodded. "I want to know everything."

"We put the remains in there. To remove the flesh from the bones." He said carefully. He was making a conscious effort not to use overly scientific language, like he did with Booth. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Oddly, though, she didn't look the least bit uncomfortable. Only curious.

"That's how you do it? I knew you had to remove the flesh sometimes." At his surprised look, she went on. "I did some research last night so I could figure out what you did."

"Sometimes we use beetles." He informed her.

"Beetles?" She looked fascinated. "How? What kind of beetles?"

He pointed to the tank that housed what he considered 'his' beetles. "Flesh-eating beetles."

She went to the tank, leaning close. "Really? Gross." Only she didn't look sickened.

He went to her side. "I named them." He admitted, then cursed himself. That probably sounded extremely odd.

She straightened and turned her head. "You named the beetles?"

Zack shrugged, now feeling foolish.

But she smiled, once again giving a reaction that was completely unpredictable. "If there weren't so many, I'd ask what you named all of them."

"Sometimes, Hodgins and I race them." He confided.

"That is hilarious. I want in on that." She replied. "I bet I could win."

Her acceptance of what he considered his quirks was unexpected and welcome. Now certain of her interest, and confident on his own turf, he led her around the space, pointing out things he thought she might find interesting.

When he finished the tour of his space, she was leaning against his desk, hip cocked and arms folded across her chest.

"You know," she said. "This place is like a horror movie waiting to happen."

He shook his head. "I find that unlikely. Most of the films I've seen are far too unrealistic."

"I know," She exclaimed. "That's why I don't like horror movies. They're too fake."

"So, you would prefer them to be more realistic? The reality of murder and death is much less spectacular than is shown in movies."

"Exactly. And that would be far more terrifying." She replied, smiling at him the way Doctor Brennan did when he came up with a particularly astute observation. It did not produce the same emotional response. It was much more unsettling.

"You researched what I do?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah. I got a book. I was reading it last night."

"Why?"

Tilting her head, red hair sliding over her shoulder, she shrugged. "I like knowing how things work. I thought if I could understand what you do, I could figure out what makes you tick."

It was a logical approach. Unexpected from her. "What have you found out?"

"You love what you do. It's not just that you enjoy the work, or that you're good at it. It means something. You wouldn't do it otherwise."

She pushed away from the desk and approached him. "The people here, they're not just colleagues or friends. They're your family."

She was very perceptive. For only knowing him for a couple days, she had seen more than his actual family did.

Stopping in front of him, she reached up and slid her hands down the lapels of his lab coat. "You're more confident here. When you put on this coat, you become a different person."

She laid her hands on his chest and stepped close, smiling up at him. "How am I doing?"

He didn't know what to do with his hands. He didn't know how to respond. "I don't understand you." He offered.

"You're not meant to." She said it lightly, though he still didn't understand, he could tell it was okay.

A wicked look in her eye, Ruby tweaked his collar. "Hey, Doctor Addy, wanna play doctor with me?"

He laughed, helplessly. "I don't know what that means."

He had quietly hoped, but never really believed, that someone would look at him the way she did just then.

It wasn't a look he could easily categorize, but he decided he really could think about that later. Much later.

* * *

Ruby told her heart to stay out of it. It was too soon to be this stuck on him. But, god, the way he watched her... Those dark eyes fixed on her like she was some sort of rare specimen he was trying to analyze.

What she hadn't admitted figuring out about him was that he was lonely. That was the first thing she'd come to realize. The way he reacted when she touched him, it was obvious he wasn't touched often. Like now. She could feel his heart under her palms, beating fast.

Her playfulness fled. Licking her lips, she whispered his name.

He bent his head.

"Hey, Zack, Booth and Bren..." A woman's voice trailed off, then started again, amused. "I really hope I'm interrupting something."

Zack stepped away. "Angela." His cheeks were pink.

Ruby looked past him to the dark haired woman grinning in the doorway.

"Are you the Angela that tells him what not to talk about?" She asked.

"That would be me." Angela replied. "You must be Ruby."

"Must I?" Ruby asked with a laugh. "How do you know?"

"I'm all-knowing." The other woman replied with a laugh. "Zack I hate to interrupt, but Booth and Bren are on their way with a body."

Ruby turned back to Zack, who was looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"I should go. Let you get to work."

He gazed at her for a long moment, then flicking a quick glance at Angela, who was making flapping 'go ahead' gestures with her hands, he stepped close and swiftly kissed Ruby.

Ruby grinned at him. "Call me later?"

He nodded.

She reached up and patted his cheek. "Don't work too hard."

She stepped around him and gave a jaunty wave to Angela. "See you."


End file.
